hours; fometimes the fexes unite a fe. cond time after feparation the eggs are deposited almost immediately after they are fecundified, in fmall parcels, each confifting of a certain number from 6 to 30, and each female lays in all from 60 to 90: the eggs are covered with a viscous juice, which caufes them to adhere to whatever they happen to be depofited upon, and are fo Imall, that they will drop through a hole made in a piece of paper with the point of the finest needle. When examined with a microscope, they appear to be striped long ways, from top to bottom, and with a rough surface, resembling fhagreen. After the egg has been laid 4, 6, or 8 days, according to the temperament of the feafon, it produces a caterpillar about the thickness of a hair, and about the 40th or 50th part of an inch long; this worm immediately begins to introduce itself into the heart of the grain; it infinuates itself first into the membrane, which feparates the two lobes, where it fpins fome threads of its filk, it then wounds the husk with its teeth, but in fuch a manner, that when it has penetrated into the farinaceous part of the grain, the husk collapfes, and clofes the aperture, fo as that it can fcarce be perceived, even by an inquifitive eye.

Many of them, however, perifh before they can get into the heart of the grain, either by fatigue or hunger, or by a contest among themfelves, which very frequently occurs to decide the property of a grain which happens to be attacked by feveral at the fame time. This creature, as if it forefaw that in its butterfly-state it would have no organ left to penetrate the hufk that inclofes it, has the precaution to fashion with its teeth, in that part of it which is over against the head of the chryfalis, a kind of trap door, large enough for the butterfly to iffue out at, which continues shut till it has quitted the fhuck of the chryfalis. When this prudent measure has been taken, the caterpillar fpins a cod of filk, which exactly fills one of the lobes of the grain, the other

being filled with its excrements; the butterfly being difengaged from the chryfalis, forces his head through the cod, lifts up the trap door which had been made in the husk, and issues out, · as it were alive, from a tomb, in order to propagate its species.

The academifts to whom this matter was referred, fearched the fields by night in the fpring, with lantherns in their hands, for the infects which were the objects of their enquiry, and found › them in great numbers coupled upon the ears of the grain which was yet green; they communicated their difcovery to the inhabitants of the province, who then first understood the origin of the caterpillars which they found in June upon the ear, and of the butterflies which they faw iffue from it in July.

The reader will now think it happy, that a method has at last been discovered by which these fubverters of the staff of life may be destroyed, and the grain preferved from harvest to seed time; nothing more is neceffary for this purpose than to heat the grain in an oven after the bread has been drawn; this, at the fame time that it is perfectly efficacious, is fimple and eafy, and applies to a most important purpose a heat which would otherwife ufelefly decay. It is, however, neceffary to make the following obfervations:

1. Grain expofed during many days to a heat which causes the thermometer to rife to 60 degrees, lofes no degree of its fertility.

2. This heat, continued 11 hours, will totally destroy all the infects contained in the grain, whether caterpillar, chryfalis, or butterfly; and heat, equal only to 33 degrees, if it is continued two days, will answer the fame purpose.

3. But a great quantity of grain put into an oven, confiderably reduces the heat of it; and the full heat of the oven will be communicated only to the superficies, and to the bottom of it which touches the floor of the oven.

4. 2500 pounds of grain being put into an oven in which the heat was 85 Z a degrees,

degrees, the heat in the center, of the

From the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE.

oven.

· 5. The usual heat of an oven, two hours after the bread has been drawn, is about 100 degrees.

6. Grain that has endured 90 degrees of heat, is not lefs fit for making bread. In order to prevent butterflies, produced in other heaps, from depofiting their eggs among grain that has been dried in an oven, it may be laid in fuch heaps as will have the smallest poffible fuperficies, and then covered with ashes, or powdered chalk, or a cloth either of Jinen or woollen; or it may be laid up in facks; or if the quantity is great, it may be barrelled in large casks, particular care being taken in fecuring the head.

The following procefs is faid to be effectual for rendering the grain that is to be fowed perfectly pure, found, and free from infects, and for preventing what is called fmutty wheat.

Make a very frong lye of woodahes; and when it is become yellow like beer, and flippery to the touch, put in 2 much quick lime as will make it of a dufky white when it is as hot as that the finger can but just bear it, let the grofs part of the lime subside; then pour off the lye into a proper veffel, and, having the grain in a basket, plunge the basket with the grain into the lye, stirring it about, and skimming off fuch as float on the top. This done, in about two or three minutes the grain may be taken out of the lye, and the basket which contains it must be placed ppon two poles, that the lye nay drain off. When it has done dropping from the bottom of the basket, it must be spread on the floor of a granary to dry, while a fecond bafket is ferved in the fame manner.

This procefs preferves the grain from ratting, and defroys all the infects that may have got into it.

From the North Briton, No. 42.

THERE is generally one favourite. ministerial word in high vogue.. The cant word of the prefent m-r is economy. There is not a poor infignificant English Tory, or Scottish Jacobite, clerk, who has been three days in the Customs, or Excise, but has already learnt his leffon, and talks inceffantly of the new mr's economy.. It is become the Shibboleth of the whole faction. At no period of the English history has the nation been fo much amufed with words, and fo grosly abused with glaring facts of extortion on the people, as of late. The proof thall foon; follow the affertion; but I shall first state. a very extraordinary occurrence.

By the Votes of the House of Commons, we find, that on March 7, an addrefs was voted to his Majefty, tho not without oppofition, That he would be graciously pleased to employ in the army fuch perfons, as now are, or shall be, upon half pay, who are qualified to ferve his Majesty." This furely was fo plain an inftance of economy to the public, as well as of juice to the officer, that such an addrefs must in its very nature be trifling, or must mean a direct infult upon the mr. I think, indeed, it fhowed a fufpicion, with regard to his real intention to carry any scheme of economy into execution. The conduct of the mr has verified the juftice of this opinion. The first principles of national œconomy have been dif regarded, for every regiment has been compleated as to its complement of officers, even a few days only before it has been broke. This has fwelled the halfpay lift, and put the nation to an enormous expence, without a pretence of fervice to the public.

I beg to know how many weeks Mr. Gilbert Elliot's fon has had a captain's commiffion, and if he is yet ten years. old? The Lift of the army has been en

tirely printed off, but was ordered to be fuppreffed. This has kept from the eye of the public the names of feveral who diftinguished themselves under the banners of rebellion in 1745. Their names, however, fhall in due time be given to the public, and their loyal deeds faithfully recorded. By fuch methods has the half-pay lift grown to its present enormous fize, and fo deep a wound given to the public even in œconomy.

Let us now confider another ftriking inftance of the total difregard of œconomy; I mean the prefent loan of 3,500,000 1. The terms of the new fubfcription have been fo injurious to the public, that there was immediately an advance of 7 per cent. upon it, and in a very few days of above 11 per cent. I fhall, however, only state it at the even round sum of 10 per cent. that-I may not puzzle the chancellor of the Exchequer. The whole loan amounted to 3,500,000 1. confequently in a period of a very few days the m-r gave among his creatures 350,000 l. A few of their names I will mention, to shew in what ́eftimation they are held by the public: Meffieurs Touchet, Glover, Cuft, Amyand, Maygens, Salvador, Colebrooke, Thornton and Muilman, had each 200,000 1. of this new subscription, and of course, almost immediately cleared 20,000 1. each, which they have, or have not, thared among their friends.

In a lucrative ministerial job of any kind, it was impoffible the name of Mr. F-x could be omitted. He had 100,000l. that is, 10,000 l. clear profit. Mr. Calcraft had upwards of 70,000l. that is a gift of 7000 1. Mr. Drummond, a Scottish banker (to whom his countrymen, while his fhop continued open, had fuch obligations in 1745) was gratified with 72,000 l. or, in other words, had 7,2001. given him. The governors of the Bank, Robert Marth, Efq; had 150,000 1. to keep the gentlemen there in good-humour; and, to preserve his own good humour, 50,000 l... Lewis Way, Efq; fub governor of the South Sea, had the fame

fum, for the fame purpofe. Such douceurs were given to fuch perfons, when gentlemen of the first monied property in the kingdom, who had fubfcribed the largest fums in all the exigencies of government, during the two laft wars, and who were of known affection to the Brunswick line, were refused any share; and the reafon given to some, was, You are no friends of the mr. m--r has declared, that he had ac tually a tender of above 17 millions only from the city. The public will judge, from this, how impoffible it was to carry on the war even another year.

The

This enormous fum of 350,000 1. ought to have been faved to the public. It undoubtedly might have been, if a fair bargain had been made by honeft and intelligent stewards of the public, free from any difpofition, or at least any refolution, to buy friends in fo shameful a way with the nation's money. The fum is very near one fhilling in the pound of the Land-tax, which the zeal lous, fond, believing, obfequious, confiding, fupporting, acquiefcing, bear ing and forbearing country gentlemen ought, among their ftipulations with the m-, to have faved the nation. Had there been the least attention to œconomy, we fee this faving might have been made. If the filling in the pound had not been taken off the land, the odious tax on cyder, in its prefent oppreffive mode, would have been totally unneceffary: but the Excife laws feem now to be the favourite laws; and the Chancellor of the Exche quer declared, that he was not for an Extenfion of the Excifs laws, but for an Enlargement of them. If there can be any meaning couched in fuch barbarism, it fhould feèm that the Hydra of Excife is now to reach where its cruel fangs never did before.

I defire likewise to state the cafe of the lotteries, and of the grofs impofi tions on the public by that part of the late bargain. Lotteries have always been objected to, as promoting the spirit of gaming, fo peculiarly pernicious to a commercial country. The necef

fities